No-fishing zones proposed in New Jersey

New Jersey, like many other coastal states, has never considered adopting what several marine conservation groups call the most effective tool to aid coastal ocean habitat – “no-take” protected areas that prohibit fishing and other activity, such as exploratory drilling, in the designated zones.

The controversial strategy has been used by only three coastal states to set at least 1 percent of their coastal waters off limits to fishing. Hawaii leads the way with 23 percent of its ocean covered by a no-take policy, followed by California at 9 percent and Florida at 1 percent.

“Despite a multitude of threats to their health, U.S. states are failing to adequately protect their coastal and ocean waters,” said Lance Morgan, president of the Marine Conservation Institute, which surveyed the states’ use of no-take zones in a report it released Wednesday. “No-take marine protected areas are the gold standard for helping oceans thrive, but the SeaStates report shows that far too few states and territories are using this critical tool.”

If pursued in New Jersey, such a strategy could have significant impacts on the state’s robust commercial and recreational fishing industries, industry advocates say. While New Jersey and federal fishery management agencies already have a multitude of regulations in place that restrict fishing, including when and how much to catch and which type of gear can be used, no-take zones are particularly contentious because they prohibit any kind of fishing throughout the year, limiting access to fishable waters by commercial and recreational fishermen.

“There are already a lot of areas where we are limited through regulations on gear or what season we can fish in,” said Nils Stolpe, communications director for the Garden State Seafood Association.

New Jersey’s seafood industry generated total sales of $6.6 billion in 2011, fifth highest among all 23 coastal states, and supported more than 43,000 jobs that year, according to federal data.

New Jersey generated $214 million alone in fish landings, ranking seventh. The bulk of that came from shellfish, particularly sea scallops. New Jersey ranked fourth in recreational fishing revenue, generating $1.7 billion.

“Fishermen fish where the fish are. This is usually a small part of the available ocean – maybe 10 percent,” Stolpe said. No-fish marine protection areas – called MPAs - “also have to be where the fish are. In essence that could mean that if 5 percent of the ocean is turned into MPAs the fishermen could give up 50 percent of their fishable water.”

Advocates of the no-take strategy say it can actually benefit the commercial and recreational fishing industries, because studies indicate that fish diversity and abundance improves not only within the zone, but around it as well.

Both fish populations and fishermen benefited from a fishing ban in the 151 square nautical mile Tortugas Ecological Reserve in the Florida Keys, according to a recent federal study. Since the no-take policy went into effect in 2001, overfished species increased in presence, abundance and size, not only inside the reserve but throughout the region, the study found. Particularly significant was the fact that fish were larger than before the policy was introduced – larger fish often produce many more offspring. At the same time, commercial catches of reef fish in the region increased, and no financial losses were experienced by the region’s fishermen.

New Jersey has installed policies similar to no-take zones to address specific issues. For instance, since 2008 it has banned harvesting horseshoe crabs, because the crabs lay their eggs on the state’s Delaware Bay beaches, and the eggs are a vital food source for the endangered red knot as it makes its spring migration north towards its Arctic breeding grounds.

In 2001 the state also created its first marine conservation zone, to protect the Sedge Islands in Barnegat Bay. The zone was designed to reduce the environmental impact of personal watercraft, such as jet skis, on bird nesting sites,

No-take zones are “very contentious,” said Tim Dillingham of the American Littoral Society. He said California went through a long, rigorous, science-based process before designating no-take zones.

“To my knowledge, nobody has done a rigorous scientific analysis to determine that any particular area of New Jersey’s coastal waters would benefit from a no-take zone,” Dillingham said. “That’s not to say there isn’t such an area.”

While fishing regulations have traditionally been designed to sustain fish as a commercial resource, researchers are broadening their view to include the role of fish populations in the ecology of the ocean and their interactions with other animals, said Dillingham.

For instance, menhaden populations are currently being overfished in the Atlantic, according to federal fishery regulators. Menhaden are used as bait. But they are also a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, and have been heavily fished by large ships that render them into fish meal and oil for use in pet food and dietary supplements.

Beyond their use as a commercial resource, menhaden also play a critical role in the Jersey coastal ecology, Dillingham said. They eat plankton, which helps reduce harmful algae blooms, and they are also eaten by larger fish that are commercially harvested.

“There’s a growing understanding of the interconnectedness of these species within the larger chain,” Dillingham said. “Pulling one out by overfishing or polluting their breeding grounds is like pulling a block out of the base of a tower - it all tumbles down.”

Marty Hasup Sr. hunts for fish on Greenwood Lake. Want to know where the best spots are? From bass to muskies, that will depend on what you are looking for. Suburban Trends asks local experts to weigh in.